Game apparatus.



J. A. LACASSE.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION men JUNE 18. m1.

Patented July 23, 1918.

5! 1mm M Ma i Ell ARMY tlttowmagdv JOSEPH A. lLdUdSSl E, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

naraaer,

GAME AFPMATUSL hpplication file'd ilune 1a, 1917. aerial No. rzaaeo.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn A. LAoAssn, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne i checkerboard, with pawns, that can be conyenientlycarried in a vest pocket and used by players particularly when traveling.

he primary object of my invention is to provide a checker board of the above type with novel means for holding the pawns, whereby the same cannot become accidentally displaced when the checker board is not" in use. The pawns are of such construction as to be easily handled and novel means is employed for moving a set of pawns from inactive position to active position so that the pawns may be easily gripped and placed about the checker board.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive checker board and pawns that can be more conveniently used than a large checker board, especially the usual folding box hoards, and this and other advantages of my invention will be better understood when referring'to the drawing and the detail description thereof.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan of the checker board, showmg one set of pawns concealed and the other set of pawns exposed ready to be all bill

placed upon the board;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional. view, takenon the line l[l'-lll of Fig. 1 showing a set of pawns in an inactive position;

. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the pawns in an active position ready to be used Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the checker board, partly broken away and partly in longitudinal section;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a detached pawn elevating member;

Fig. 6 is a erspective view ofa detached closure or sli e, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pawn.

The checker board is designated 1 and may be made of a plate or block of fiber, hard rubber, glass or any light and durable material that is not materially susceptible to cap.

specification nun. patente July as, rare.

pansion and contraction. Un one side of the plate or block is printed, marked or otherwise indicated the usual number of squares 2 of a checker board and-those squares generally used in a checker game are noticeable by pockets 3 in the board. The pockets 3 are cylindrical and approximately half the depth of the board so as to hold the ends of pawns l.

The awns a are cylindrical so that the ends 0 said pawns maybe placed inthe pockets 3 of the board. Uf course if these pockets are of any other shape, the pawns will be correspondingly shaped and said pawns-can be made of metal or any durable material. For instance, one set of pawns may be made of brass and the other pawns from blue steel, so that the two sets of pawns may be distinguishable one from the other,

similar to the ordinary black and red checkers. The pawns d are approximately the depth of the board, so that when'the pawns are placed in the pockets 3, the ends of the pawns will protrude above the face of the board-and can be easily gripped and jumped or shifted about the board. An end of each pawn has suitable indicia 5, for instance a circle or cross mark, so that the pawns may be usedwith the indicia exposed to indicate that the pawn is a king. lit is also possi ble to provide the ends of all the pawns with indicia that vwill. represent the various pieces of a chess game.

The lower face of the board 1, at each end thereof, has a transverse groove 6, and intermediate the ends of said groove the lower face of the board is recessed, as at 7 to provide clearance for a finger. The side walls of the board 1, at the ends thereof, have vertical grooves 8 communicating with the ends of the grooves 6 and in the grooves 6 and 8 are pawn elevating members 9. These members are preferably made from strips of metal bent to provide side arms 10 having inturned ends ll. After the pawn elevating members are placed in the grooves 6 and 8,

.then the ends of the arms 10 are .inturned so as to retain the members in engagement with theboard, and yet permitof said members till dill

its

being raised or shifted in the grooves 6 by pressure on saidmembers at the recesses Y,

which provides clearance for a finger used to elevate the members.

Communicating with the grooves 6 are a plurality of openings 12 disposed in a row and corresponding in number to the pawns.

ltd

The openings 12a're adapted to receive the pawns, which rest on the members 9, as shown in Fig. 2, and each set of pawns may be elevated, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the pawns maybe placed .in the pockets 3 preparatory to a game.

Slidable on-theupper face of the checker i board at the ends thereof, are slides or closures 13 adapted to closethe upper ends of the openings 12 and cooperate with the members 9 in retaining the ends of the board. The slides 13. have the ends thereof slotted, as at 14, to receive studs :15jmounte'd in the board and these studs are adapted to frictionally hold the slides 13 on the upper face of the board, so that after said slides are manually shifted,,the slides cannot accidentally sh ft and release the when the board is not in use but may receive the pawns during a game so that the pawns elude loss of the awns. I attach 'consi erable importance to the manner in which the pawns are housed in the board and the manner in which the pawns from the openings 12. The openings- 12 not onlyafiord a container for the pawns.

' need not be otherwiseheld and also pre Erovided witli piockets and openings, pawns oused in the openings of said board and ads. ted to be removed therefrom and placed in t e pockets of said board, elevating members carried by said board and engaging the ends of saidpawnsin the openings of said board, and means carried y said board adapted for engagement with the other ends of said pawns to retain said am on said elevating members and in sai board.

4.- A game apparatus comprising a board pawns in the.

provided with pockets, and openings, pawns normally in the openings of said board and adapted to be. transferred to the pockets thereof,'elevatin members movable in the lower face of said board adapted for shiftmg the awns in the openings of said board,

and sli es on the upper face of said board pawns may be elevated to facilitate removalfrom the board, and while in the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of 7 my invention, it isto be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes in size, shape and manner of assemblage as fall within the scope of the appended claims. r

What I claim is:

ame apparatus comprising a board 1. A. provided with openings an pawns housed wlthin the openings of said board and adapted to be removed therefrom and used on said board, and means engaging the lower ends of said; pawns to elevate said pawns in the openings of said board.

2. Aegame apparatus comprising a board provid with openings and pockets, pawns normally housed within the ope of said board and adapted to be removed erefrom 7 and placed in the pockets of said board, and

- means movable in the lower face of said housed in the openmgs so that said'pawns will protrude 3. A game apparatus-comprising aboard board adapted for elevating the pawnsa above said board and may be:

'' easily gripped.

said board adapted to close the openings 100 adapted to codperate with said elevating members in reta said pawns inthe',

ar 7s .of said slides on. the upper ace of said board adapted to be shifted over the openings thereof to cooperate with said elevating. members in retaining said pawns m-the openings of said board.

6. A game apparatus com rising a checker board having the upper ace thereof provided with pockets, sald board having openings at the ends thereof, the lower face of said. board having grooves communicating with the openings thereof, elevating bers shiftable in the grooves of sai board, pawns in the o enings of said board on said elevating mem ers, and adapted to be raised thereby, and means on the upper face of thereof toreta'in said pawns in the openfiigs of said board.

Intestimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH A LACASSE. Witnesses:

ANNA M. Done, A. F. Dmrm.

mem- 

